Customer Demand & Supply Manager

Customer Demand & Supply Manager
£88,000 to £93,500 plus excellent benefits, including private healthcare and a £6,000 car allowance (Work Level 4)
12-month fixed term contract
On-call for incidents on a rota basis every 8-9 weekends
Manchester city centre, in this role you’ll work in a hybrid way splitting your time between home and coming into the office 2-3 days a week (usually between Tuesday and Thursday), with occasional UK travel (around twice a month)

We’re looking for a Customer Demand & Supply Manager to join Co-op and lead one of our four category supply teams. As part of our Logistics, Supply Chain and Retail Risk function, you’ll be responsible for managing category replenishment across multiple sub-categories, helping to make sure products move efficiently through our supply chain and into our stores. Leading and developing a diverse team, you’ll create the conditions for success, enabling colleagues to deliver their objectives, maximise customer satisfaction, and provide value to the business.

Why this role matters

Everything we do for our members and customers depends on having the right products available at the right time. You’ll play a key role in shaping and delivering our supply chain category strategy, working closely with commercial teams, retail operations, suppliers, and distribution partners to make that happen. Using our SAP F&R (Forecasting & Replenishment) system and your supply chain expertise, you’ll help make sure our end-to-end supply chain operates effectively and efficiently, balancing service, availability, and cost. You’ll focus on delivering key performance indicators, identifying opportunities for continuous improvement, and building strong, collaborative relationships that help us create value for our members, customers, and Co-op as a whole.

What you’ll do

•    Lead and develop a diverse supply chain category team (around 5 direct reports and 30 indirect reports), making sure they have the skills, capability, direction, and support needed to deliver their accountabilities, while maintaining a consistent and fair approach and compliance with relevant legal and legislative requirements
•    Contribute to and influence the creation and delivery of the supply chain strategic plan
•    Make sure we have the right products in the right stores at the right time, maximising customer satisfaction through product availability and quality
•    Build robust, collaborative relationships with internal and external partners across the business and wider supply chain
•    Make sure that core and promotional demand is managed effectively
•    Make sure the end-to-end supply chain continues to operate in the most cost-effective way possible
•    Identify and implement value-adding opportunities across the supply chain, including cost savings and improvements in supplier relationships
•    Role model a continuous improvement mindset and encourage this approach throughout the team

What you’ll bring

We're committed to making our roles as accessible as possible, so we'll only ask you for the minimum criteria. To be successful in this role, you'll need:

•    Experience working in a dynamic food supply chain environment
•    Strong commercial awareness and an understanding of the financial impact of effective stock management
•    Experience leading, motivating, and developing diverse and high-performing teams, helping colleagues achieve their full potential
•    The ability to successfully manage and embed change within a complex environment, balancing competing priorities in a fast-paced role
•    Strong relationship-building, communication, and influencing skills, with the ability to work collaboratively across internal and third-party partners and confidently engage colleagues up to executive level
•    Experience of working with supply chain planning and replenishment systems, ideally SAP F&R

Why Co-op?

At Co-op, we’re owned by our members. And because we’re owned by you, we can do right by you. So when you join us, you’re not just taking a job, you’re joining a movement. We’re an organisation that puts people and communities first, and we’re powered by purpose. We want this to be a place where you can thrive, so you’ll also receive:

•    An annual bonus (based on personal and business performance)
•    28 days holiday (rising to 32 with service) plus bank holidays 
•    A pension with up to 10% employer contributions 
•    Private healthcare for you and your family
•    Company car or £6,000 car allowance
•    Access to a subsidised onsite gym (at our Manchester HQ) 
•    30% discount on Co-op products and 10% off other brands 
•    Stream – early access to a percentage of your pay as you earn it 
•    Virtual healthcare including GP appointments, mental health support, nutrition and fitness advice 
•    24/7 colleague support service 
•    Training and support for your development and career progression
•    Cycle-to-work scheme

A place you’ll belong

We’re building diverse and inclusive teams that reflect the communities we serve. We welcome applications from everyone and are committed to creating a workplace where colleagues can feel like they belong, supported by our inclusive policies and the ways we work.

We’re proud to be part of the Disability Confident scheme and offer interviews to disabled candidates who meet the minimum criteria for a job. If you need any adjustments during the recruitment process, we’ll support you.

Learn more about our recruitment process at jobs.coop.co.uk/apply-process and our inclusion commitments at jobs.coop.co.uk/diversity-inclusion.

As part of your application, you'll need to complete an online assessment. This assessment typically takes up to 50 minutes. If you're a current Co-op colleague, this does not need to be completed.